Legend of the Sword
Chanbara
Pleasance
****(*)

The samurai sword is more than just a very lethal weapon. In Japan and elsewhere it has an iconic status being symbolic of the old Japan, the virtues of the samurai class and an almost religious dedication to purity and honour. According to legend, the first samurai sword was made around AD 700 by the great master Amakuni in Yamato, but it was in the war torn years between 900 and 1450 that the sword was adapted to meet the changing face of battle. Master craftsmen perfected the blade, utilising the finest materials and honing the process that evolved into a tempered steel curved blade 2ft long of remarkable sharpness known as the katana. The secret lies in the tempering. The metal is heated and turned about 20 times, each time being plunged into cold water.
The exact temperatures, the exact moment, are crucial. The katana, lovingly polished and engraved, with individualised features is an object both beautiful and lethal. It is hard enough to sustain a remarkably sharp edge, but flexible enough so that it will not bend or break.

The katana is an icon with a significant history. Embodying the aesthetic, social and military ideology of the warrior caste, it was banned by the national government of Japan in 1876, adding to its iconic status. Only the police force was allowed to carry it, but the necessary skills were transposed into a sport known as kendo which is practised using sticks. There is even a martial art form dedicated to drawing and sheathing the katana - aido. The cinema has popularised the myth of the samurai warrior caste and the iconic status of the katana has spread across the globe. It is no wonder that so many legends exist concerning master craftsman and swords of exceptional power.

Chanbara's new show centres on the legend of one such sword: a katana that transforms the one possessing it, imbuing him with super-human powers. In the hands of evil men, the sword would wreak havoc, and the struggle to possess the sword is the occasion for a magnificent display of skills as the forces of good and evil clash.

Accompanied by wadaiko drumming and some hilarious comic relief, this simple tale of a sword lost in the mists of time and rediscovered by a couple of unwitting innocents in the 21st century is as spectacular as they come. If, like myself, you are a fan of martial arts movies, then these stunning performers are the stuntmen who provide you with your celluloid excitement, but here they are live and unedited. Their acrobatic skills, wire-work and martial arts techniques merge into a seamless sequence of breathtaking movement as elegant as it is dynamic.

But this is not simply a show for adherents of the martial arts. It is a spectacle for all ages, centred on an object of great beauty and considerable cultural significance. It is a tale that should engage the hearts of us all, as the drums pound in our blood and the athleticism inspires us to get out there and move.

Jackie Fletcher